Blue Bell student wins collegiate Emmy award

Neumann University students, from left, Michelle Ferguson, Athena Thompson, Cortney Brooks and Katie Orr stand with Karen Thomas, professor of communication and media arts at Neumann and Fox 29 meteorologist, seated, who holds the Student Achievement Award the group won in the general assignment news category at the 2012 local Emmy Awards ceremony. Submitted photo

When Brooks first spoke about her school’s collegiate Emmy award nomination for a video she helped produce as part of a group project, she had high doubts that she would go on to win it all.

That is until the ceremony proved differently.

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The Neumann University senior said hearing her school had won the award was crazy and everyone started screaming. Their competitor, Temple University, had a long history of producing award-winning videos, which Brooks said made the team doubt its chances.

The evening began at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel Sept. 22 with a cocktail hour. Brooks said she was disappointed because she had hoped to see some famous faces from local TV broadcasts during the cocktail hour as she had brought with her some business cards to hand out as part of her networking strategy.

After cocktails, the Blue Bell native and the rest of her team settled into the banquet for dinner and the awards presentations.

“I didn’t know it’d be as nice as it was,” Brooks said.

The 22-year-old said the collegiate award was one of the last presented, and two and a half hours after the start of the ceremony, the college “general news assignment” category began.

When the Neumann team won the award, its senior seminar professor Karen Thomas, of Fox 29 news, stood up cheering and accepted the award on behalf of the group.

In her acceptance speech, Thomas said the group “worked really hard” and congratulated the members for the win.

Brooks said she was surprised when the trophy wasn’t the classic Emmy award, but rather a “pillar.” She said while they each got to take a picture with the award, the school got to keep the trophy while the group members instead received certificates honoring the achievement.

After the ceremony, Brooks said her father was incredibly proud. She said he embarrassed her by walking past some TV crew members and tapping them on the shoulder saying “my daughter’s graduating, she’ll be coming to see you” and handed them a business card.

She said her dad framed the certificate, videotaped the whole experience and hasn’t stopped bragging to everyone he knows about the award.

“Only Dad would do that,” Brooks said.

She said she’ll be graduating in December and the job search is still tough. Looking at TV stations in mostly southern states, Brooks said she’d like to branch out and be on her own for a change.